24 Oct 2019

The mistaken attribution to Concordia

The name "Temple of Concordia" derives from a mistaken theory by the historian Fazello (1490-1570). He found a Latin inscription near the temple from the Roman imperial era dedicated to the Concordia of the Agrigentines, which he then associated with the building.The inscription actually had no rela...
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24 Oct 2019

The emporium of Akragas

In ancient times, the term emporium referred to wholesale trading centres located mainly on the coast. The one in Agrigento was located at the mouth of the Akragas river and it was here that the numerous trade exchanges between the Akragantine and other Mediterranean populations took place. Source...
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24 Oct 2019

The Agrigento Ephebe – the river Akragas as a deity

The Agrigento Ephebe is a statue dating from 480 BC kept in the Regional Archaeological Museum "Pietro Griffo", located in the Valley of the Temples. It depicts a kouros, a young man in his prime, naked and standing upright. The statue is made of white marble, probably imported from Greece, and me...
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24 Oct 2019

The plateau, a high plain

Plateaus are elevations with wide plains at their highest point. The one in Agrigento is square and slightly irregular in the north-west corner. Its highest peak, on the north side, stands 340 metres above sea level....
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24 Oct 2019

The citrus grove of the Valley

The citrus grove of the Kolymbetra Garden is home to 600 trees of varying types including sweet oranges, bitter oranges, lemons, tangerines and clementines. Each species has ancient varieties with a timeless taste, such as the juicy and sour blood orange, the yellow-orange colouring and typical ...
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24 Oct 2019

The acropolis of Akragas

In the ancient world, and particularly in Greece, the acropolis indicated the highest and most protected part of the city; it was fundamental because it housed temples dedicated to the most important deities. The acropolis of Akragas, after years of studies, comparisons and debates, was located in ...
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24 Oct 2019

The sacrificial victims

Before the sacrifice, the chosen victim, after being sprayed with water, would move its head, leading the ancients to interpret this sign as an authorisation from the animal, which was then sacrificed on the altar. The spontaneous movement caused by the water was a very important aspect for the an...
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24 Oct 2019

The Thesmophoria, celebrations for Demeter

The Thesmophoria were ancient festivals celebrated in the Greek world in honour of Demeter. The main purpose was to awaken Mother Earth's creating energies, which is why they were usually celebrated before the sowing season. In Athens, the birthplace of this feast, they lasted three days and onl...
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24 Oct 2019

Terracotta statuettes, creations of the Akragantine craftspeople

In the Sanctuary of the Chthonic Deities they were found hundreds of terracotta figurines produced in the workshops of the city, and today kept at the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento. In the museum's windows you can admire the performances of bidders women, who carried torches as a gift, pigs, p...
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24 Oct 2019

The statues of the Telamons – Theron as Zeus

The telamons of the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento have often been interpreted as the mythical equivalent of the defeated Carthaginians: just as Zeus had thwarted the giants' attempt to overthrow his authority and seize his power, Theron had stopped the Carthaginians' invasion. In the same w...
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